Deputies fatally shoot man who took aim at them

Saturday

May 16, 2009 at 2:27 AM

WINTER HAVEN - A man armed with a rifle was shot multiple times by three Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies Thursday night and later died at Winter Haven Hospital.

WINTER HAVEN - A man armed with a rifle was shot multiple times by three Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies Thursday night and later died at Winter Haven Hospital, the Sheriff's Office reported Friday.

According to a Sheriff's Office report, at approximately 8:18 p.m. Thursday, deputies were dispatched to investigate a family disturbance that involved Sutton and took place at 5713 Lucerne Park Road in Winter Haven. The property includes a barn structure and is owned by Sutton's parents, Albert and Danita Sutton, also of 200 S. Lake Region Blvd.

Deputy Ivan Navarro first responded to the Marathon gas station, at 5900 Lucerne Park Road, Winter Haven, and made contact with the Suttons. They told the deputy their son had become violent after getting into a verbal argument with his mother at the barn. According to the Sheriff's Office, Danita Sutton said she felt threatened and was afraid of her son, adding that as she drove away in her car, her son pounded on the hood.

She told Navarro that on a previous occasion, her son had been detained under the Baker Act by order of a family physician following an incident of violence against a family member. She also said that her son had been in a near-fatal 2004 motorcycle crash that resulted in a brain injury that had negatively affected his mental state.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Danita Sutton said her son had become increasingly violent and that she believed he had not been taking his prescribed medication. She asked that the deputy make contact with her son at the barn on Lucerne Park Road, and Albert Sutton told the deputy it was possible his son had access to a firearm.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Deputy Kevin Loder and sheriff's deputy trainee Christopher Diaz also arrived at the Marathon gas station to assist Navarro. The three deputies went to the area where Edmund Sutton was believed to be and approached the barn on foot.

While initially responding to meet with the Suttons, Navarro had noticed that the lights of the barn were on, but that the lights had been turned off by the time the deputies arrived, according to the Sheriff's Office. The area was very dark and deputies were using flashlights. The three deputies approached the front side of the structure, knocked loudly on an entrance door and loudly announced their presence with no response from inside the structure.

The three deputies then walked to an opened roll-up door, located on the front of the structure and leading into a large open bay area. Navarro and Loder then entered the bay area while Diaz remained on the east side of the structure, according to the Sheriff's Office. Upon entering the open bay area, a door leading to another area of the barn opened and Edmond Sutton emerged holding a .22-caliber rifle in his right hand. He aimed the rifle at Navarro, who told himn to drop the weapon and show his hands, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Diaz also came into the open bay area, and all three deputies aimed their service weapons at Sutton, according to the Sheriff's Office. When Sutton refused to drop his weapon despite loud verbal commands and moved the aim of the rifle from Navarro to Diaz, all three deputies fired their Glock .40-caliber handguns, striking Sutton several times.

The shooting took place at about 9:08 p.m., and 24 shots were fired by the deputies, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Polk County Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the scene and transported Sutton to Winter Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:39 p.m.

An assistant state attorney with the State Attorney's Office responded to the scene to begin an independent investigation of the shooting. Personnel from the sheriff's Administrative (Internal) Investigations Division also responded to the scene to start their own investigation. The Polk County Medical Examiner's Office was expected to conduct an autopsy Friday.

According to the Sheriff's Office, three .22-caliber shell casings were located on the floor of the barn and near Sutton after the shooting. Also found were a number of spent shell casings on the floor in other parts of the barn and not related to the Thursday night shooting.

According to the Sheriff's Office, a preliminary investigation indicates that Sutton might have fired two or three rounds at the deputies. Navarro told investigators that he believed Sutton had fired at least twice. None of the deputies were shot or injured.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Sutton had an extensive criminal arrest history, which includes the following charges:

Deputy trainee Diaz, 25, was sworn in as a deputy on April 14. He currently is assigned to Central District patrol.

Deputy Loder, 33, was hired as a deputy in 2004. He has been assigned to Southeast District and Central District patrols.

Deputy Navarro, 34, was hired as a deputy in 1999. He spent six years working for the Florida Department of Corrections as a corrections officer before joining the Sheriff's Office. He was a sheriff's homicide detective for seven years and most recently was assigned to Central District patrol.

The deputies have been placed on administrative leave while the various investigations run their course.

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